On Friday, a U.S. drone strike killed nine militants, among them seven members of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and two members of al Qaeda, Abu Majid Al Iraqi and Sheikh Abu Waqas Al-Yaman in the Babar Ghar area of South Waziristan. U.S. officials anonymously reported that only militants were killed in the attack on the compound on Friday evening.[1]

Deputy National Security Adviser John Brennan testified on Thursday in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee saying that locals in al Qaeda infested areas welcomed drone strikes. In the debate, Senator Dianne Feinstein announced that she and some of her colleagues are working on proposing a special court system to regulate drone strikes.[2]

According to a report published by The Washington Post on Monday, several Pakistani, Afghan, and U.S. officials believe that some Taliban fighters released by Pakistan as part of attempts to aid Afghan peace talks may have rejoined the Afghan Taliban on the battlefield. According the report, Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) failed to consult with the Afghan High Peace Council when freeing the prisoners. Officials from the U.S. military reportedly stated that the military is trying to track down the whereabouts of any former prisoners that may have returned to the Afghan Taliban. During the recent summit between Afghan, Pakistani and British leaders in London, officials from Pakistan and Afghanistan reportedly set up new coordination measures that will be implemented before releasing any additional Taliban prisoners. [5]

Militancy

On Saturday, a bomb detonated killing one person and injuring at least three in Kuchlak, Balochistan. Police cordoned and searched the area finding a 25kg improvised explosive device (IED) planted inside a parked car. The bomb squad defused the secondary device and also found two cans of gasoline near the vehicle.[6]

The Pakistani Air Force conducted bombing raids in Khyber agency’s Tirah Valley, killing at least eight militant and injuring several others on Saturday. The strikes targeted members of Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) in Bazaar Zakha Khel and Aka Khel areas of Khyber Agency.[7]

On Sunday, Pakistani security forces recovered a cache of weapons, ammunition, and explosives during a raid in Lower Dir district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). The cache included Pakistani and Afghan army uniforms as well as mines, hand grenades, three kg of explosives, 46 fuses, six detonators, and at least three weapons.[8]

On Friday, former U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan Cameron Munter wrote an Op-Ed in The Atlantic with his suggestions for how to move forward U.S.-Pakistani relations . His advice included ensuring that U.S. maintains a focus on Pakistan regarding militants and terrorism that is independent from concerns in Afghanistan, rethinking civilian and economic assistance between the two nations in light of lessons learned in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan . Munter stressed that, while bilateral cooperation between the Pakistani and U.S. governments are necessary and good, whenever possible the nations should consider a regional view and agenda. Furthermore, Munter wrote that cooperation beyond the political realm (business, tourism, etc…) would be crucial for a strong relationship that would replace suspicious, negative narratives with positive, peaceful, and trusting ones.[23]

Switzerland Will Not Reopen President Zardari Case

On Sunday, Pakistani officials announced that Swiss authorities had sent a letter explaining that the Swiss government will not reopen a corruption case against President Zardari on the grounds that Zardari has international immunity, and because the case had become “time barred.” Swiss authorities had previously been investigating claims that Zardari and his wife, former Prime Minister Bhutto, had embezzled $12 million dollars from Swiss inspection companies, and was closed in 2007.[24]

New Tax Laws

Pakistan seeks to deploy a scheme aimed at reducing tax evasion. According to a report by CNN, only 800,000 people of the 180 million residents pay taxes. Pakistan is seeking to place every citizen in a multi-biometric database that will reduce tax evasion as well as serve as a platform to pay out benefits and alleviate ID fraud.[25]